One of the best surprises of recent months

An unknown French author of the audience, a set of short texts, an extremely realistic medieval times, a literary style ... If there is a recipe for fantasy blockbuster, Jean-Philippe Jaworski took against the -foot with "Vera Janua". And the result is excellent.

If all eight texts component "Janua Vera" are independent of each other, however, they have in common their place - the Old Kingdom - and, above all, an undeniable quality to all points of view.

Without ever losing its harmony, naturally elegant and finely chopped author adapts to his point: bombastic, cocky or charge, as features a god-king, a man of the street or a knight errant.

The tone is always right, as is the Middle Ages invented but so close to ours; one feels that the author, without denying the legacy of his predecessors in the genre Fantasy, is primarily a medievalist. Whether the violence of the fighting or the misery of the common people, realism is required, far from the Middle Ages pasteboard flowering usually in Fantasy. The unique taste of small fault in this table almost perfect is the presence of Elves, which, fortunately, are far enough to not be too bothersome.

"Janua Vera" is, for me, one of the best surprises of recent months, as it was for the Cosmic Cockroach, which has made the latest recipient of its annual award.